Vegetation development on mine sites is strongly influenced by the initial site conditions, including the media characteristics, moisture availability, propagule sources and competition. Weeds can have a substantial impact on the initial success or failure of vegetation establishment by competing with desired species. In other cases a weedy species may be introduced to provide rapid initial ground cover to control erosion. Controlling weed species with chemical sprays can be expensive and may not beeffective if substantial weed populations and weed seedbanks have developed at the site. However, in many cases it is not necessary and an ecological approach to weed control is more effective. Ecological control of weeds focuses on minimising the build-up of weeds and weed propagules at the mine site. It then relies on establishing a robust vegetation community that minimises excess resource availability and that competes effectively with weeds that do establish. Examples show how resource levels can be controlled so that potential weeds can be used to provide initial cover but are then eliminated from the community. For example, broadleaf weeds may initially build up but can be controlled by the developing community. By following this approach a casecan be made for avoiding chemical control of even a major weed like Parthenium hysterophorus L. On the other hand, lack of control of soil disturbance and excess resource availability can rapidly promote a weed problem. Lessons learnt from control of weeds on mine sites are also relevant to weed control on other disturbed land, such as road verges.